Preparation for Burial

If you guys don't know me, my name is Ed, one of the pastors here.

!

Oh, Heavenly Father, Lord, where would we be without you?

Where would we be without you, oh God?

We know that what we're about to do, what we're about to hear, is to hear your very words,

the words of life.

There's so much noise in this world, so much chatter, so much yapping.

We get distracted.

We lose sight of what's most precious, what is the message that we need to hear most.

So we pray by the power of your Holy Spirit, illuminate our hearts and our eyes once again

today, so that we would understand, apply rightly, study rightly, solemnly, seriously.

We'd pay attention to these words of life.

That it would transform us from the inside out.

And that we would be able to offer to you the little, these alabaster jars of our lives

in continual sacrifice and worship of your name.

Help us.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

I invite you to stand if you are able to honor God's reading as we read aloud his word.

Starting from verse 1.

When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples,

Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest,

whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.

But they said, Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.

Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an

alabaster flask of very expensive ointment.

And she poured it on his head as he reclined at table.

And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, Why this waste?

For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.

But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, Why do you trouble the woman?

For she has done a beautiful thing to me.

For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.

In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial.

Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world,

that what she has done will also be told in memory of her.

Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot,

went to the chief priests and said,

What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?

And they paid him thirty pieces of silver.

And from that moment, he sought an opportunity to betray him.

This is God's holy and authoritative word.

Please be seated.

In a book on behavioral economics called Priceless,

author William Poundstone has one central thesis.

It's that we, as a human race,

we are remarkably bad about knowing what something is actually worth.

We think we're logical.

We think we're good at numbers.

We think we're rational.

But in the end, we are terrible at knowing what something should actually be priced.

And because of that, we're highly suggestible.

And boy, do companies know that.

For example, we naturally assume that the more expensive something is,

it must be more valuable.

In a blind taste test, participants were presented with two wines

and simply asked,

Which one do you like more, wine A or wine B?

If the prices of the wines were released or revealed to them,

almost always they will consistently rate the more expensive wine as better tasting.

Even if the wines are exactly the same, identical.

They even conduct brain scans.

And they find in their brain that drinking the more expensive wine

links to greater happiness, greater joy.

Even completely arbitrary numbers can throw us off

in thinking about what something is priced or what is valued.

In another study, researchers, they asked participants

to write down the last two digits of their social security number.

And then, after that, they were asked to bid on random household products

like computer products, groceries, clothing.

Again, consistently, almost always,

that those who wrote down those larger numbers

from their social security number

bid much higher than those who had lower numbers.

Almost twice as high.

Their social security number has nothing to do

with the price of these items.

We are that terrible

at determining what something should be worth.

But in the end,

maybe we were just victims of capitalism

and overpay for something.

It's really not that big of a deal.

Just overpay for something here and there.

But there is something,

or rather, someone

whom we cannot afford to mis-evaluate.

And his name is Jesus.

Whether you know it or not,

we have all put a price tag on him.

We have all evaluated who he is

and have appraised what he is worth.

In this passage this morning,

we see two groups of people

who have done just that.

And Matthew, he deliberately sets up this contrast

between the many who get it

egregiously wrong

and the one who gets it

breathtakingly right.

Because evaluation,

your evaluation,

always turns into action,

we must pay attention.

So to follow the example

of this remarkable woman

who sees rightly who Jesus is

and what he is worth,

the main point of my sermon today is

because Jesus is worth everything,

pour out your alabaster jars in worship.

The outline's simple.

Highlight again this contrast.

First, we're going to talk about

a calculated killing.

And as I do that,

we're going to really see

who is behind the calculation.

And secondly,

to see the remarkable woman.

We're going to understand

the uncalculated, quote-unquote,

waste that she offers.

Now that Jesus has finished

the Olivet Discourse,

which is the fifth and final discourse

of the book of Matthew,

we've turned the last corner.

From the birth narratives

to the Sermon of the Mount,

from miraculous miracles

to profound parables,

we've come a long way,

haven't we?

Walking with Jesus week by week

throughout the course

of his life and ministry.

And the word of God

has made us fall in love

with the word of God,

has it not?

Now we have finally arrived

at the concluding scenes of Matthew.

The last few days of Jesus' life

before his tragic death.

For quite a while now,

Jesus has been predicting

his death, right?

But now we see that this prediction

is starting to gain some steam.

It's starting to come to fruition.

By whose efforts, though?

Who is driving this narrative

that ultimately culminates

to Jesus' death?

From one angle,

it's the cunning,

calculating conspiracy of man.

The insidious Jewish leaders,

they hold a secret rendezvous

in the palace of the high priest Caiaphas

to plan the murder of Jesus.

Caiaphas was a high priest,

the highest position

in all of the Jewish nation

at the time,

and he was for a record

18 years straight.

It's far longer than any other

high priest at that time.

I think it goes to show

that Caiaphas,

he knew how to play the game,

how to work the system,

all so that he could stay in power.

Probably by doing shady things like this.

And hypocritical religious leaders,

they hide in the darkness

because they know

that their conduct

cannot stand in the light

of public scrutiny.

But if you followed us

throughout Matthew,

you know that, again,

this conduct is not beneath them.

It is well within their character.

For quite some time now,

they have been itching

at the chance

to remove Jesus from the picture.

Matthew 12, 14,

the Pharisees went out

and plotted against him

how to destroy him.

Matthew 22, 15,

the Pharisees went and plotted

how to entangle him

in his words.

So,

throughout Matthew,

we've seen how they

seethe

with rage

when they see that Jesus

is more respected than him.

And they tremble

with fear

when they see that

his growing following

threatens their place

of power.

So,

Jesus,

he's got to go.

Ah,

but

that's not so easy

when Jesus has won

over the entire nation.

Hence,

what I call

the Jesus problem.

They need to get rid

of somebody

whom the whole nation loves

all while doing it

while making sure

that everybody

still likes them.

It's a tricky problem.

And for a while now,

not a single person

has been able

to offer

a viable solution.

They tried

debating him.

They get

thumped to the curb.

They tried

tricking him

into breaking

their man-made laws.

That only makes

people like them more.

So,

they finally come

to their last resort.

And they decide

to abduct

and murder him.

That's how far

they're willing

to go.

But even that

is tricky

because,

number one,

obviously this is

completely illegal

so they can't do it

in broad daylight.

And number two,

they especially

cannot do it

during the Passover feast.

Why?

Because during

the Passover,

thousands and

thousands of Jews

pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

It's like an intense

pressure cooker.

And if they

kill them,

kill him then.

It's gonna

pop.

And a wild

riot

might break out.

And then you know

what happens?

The Romans

will come after

their heads.

So,

there's no

concrete plan,

no concrete

details,

but they do

agree on one

constraint.

We can't do it

during the feast.

We cannot do it

during the feast.

But as they're

racking their brains,

brainstorming,

trying to figure out

how to solve

the Jesus problem,

they get

an unlikely,

unexpected visitor.

Someone that

none,

unexpected.

And it's a

familiar face.

They've seen

his face before.

It's one of

Jesus'

own

twelve

disciples,

Judas Iscariot.

And he comes

alone without

his teacher,

and he comes

with a surprising

proposition.

He asks the

chief priest,

what will you

give me

if I sell

him out to you?

And consider

that the

Pharisees,

they don't

initiate

any of this.

Judas comes

from his

own heart,

his own

volition,

with no

backstory,

no explanation.

And really,

because of that

lack of

backstory,

much ink

has been

spilt trying

to determine

the exact

motivation of

Judas.

What's exactly

going on in

his head?

Some surmise

that Iscariot

means man

of Kiriath,

Kiriath

being a

city outside

of the

region of

Galilee.

That would

mean that

Judas is

kind of the

lone guy

out,

the odd

man out.

He's always

an odd

man out

of the

group of

Galileans.

Or the

name Iscariot

could link

Judas to a

group of

political

zealots

who wanted

the violent

overthrow of

the Roman

government.

And so

perhaps he

saw that

over the

course of

Jesus'

ministry

that,

hey,

maybe this

guy's not

who I

expected him

to be.

Or really,

and it's

sobering,

it could

simply be a

love of

money that

corrupts him

to the core.

To his

question of

what he can

get,

the Pharisees

appraised

the life of

Jesus,

at 30

silver coins.

Only 30

silver coins.

Normally at

that time,

a piece of

silver would

be a

denarius,

which was

just a

day's

labor or

a day's

wage for

a common

laborer.

So this

is a

month's

wage,

30 pieces

of silver.

Not an

insignificant

sum,

but a

shockingly

low amount

for the

cost of

a man's

life.

What is

a man

worth?

worth?

What is

the Son

of God

worth?

I don't

know,

but certainly

more than

this.

When they

appraise his

life at the

measly 30

pieces of

silver,

they

insultingly

devalue who

Jesus is.

In fact,

we read in

Exodus 22,

31,

that Moses

sets the

price of a

slave's

life at

30 silver

shekels.

It's a

clear literary

connection,

right?

30 pieces

of silver

in both

places.

But in

the Old

Testament,

the shekel,

that's their

currency,

it's actually

four times

as much

than a

Daenerys.

So they're

saying Jesus

is worth

a quarter

of a

slave.

But do you

know what's

even worse

than their

evaluation?

It's the

fact that

Judas

takes it.

In doing

so, he

commits the

worst sin

of all of

human history

by betraying

and killing

the Son of

God.

Friends,

it's

honestly easy

to think

about Jesus

or Judas

and other

him.

We who

walked with

Jesus so

long would

never do

such a

thing.

lest you

flippantly

dismiss the

warning of

his life.

Recall that

Judas,

he too

walked and

talked and

laughed and

cried with

Jesus for

years.

For years!

Before he

decided to

commit the

worst thing

ever.

How could

he do

such a

thing?

Because in

the end,

at the

very core

of who he

is,

what he

thought about

Jesus,

all that

Jesus was

to Judas

was a

mere

stepping stone

to get

what he

wanted.

According to

his calculations,

killing Jesus

was worth it.

It was worth

the measly

silver coins

because Jesus

was just a

means to an

end.

Power,

prestige,

possessions,

pleasure,

whatever it

was,

Jesus was a

means to get

these other

things.

And now that

Jesus is no

longer fulfilling

the purpose

that he seeks,

he's more than

willing to

toss Jesus

aside.

Take heed

that you do

not fall into

the same

trap.

We Christians

do not use

Jesus as a

means primarily

to give meaning

to our lives,

to make us

good people,

to reunite us

with loved ones

in heaven,

or to even

escape hell.

Those are not

the primary

things of why

we seek

Jesus.

Don't get me

wrong,

following Jesus

comes with

those benefits,

but those are

not the final

ends that we

seek.

Jesus is

not a

vehicle for

anything other

than the

enjoyment of

his own

perfection.

And if we

approach

Jesus in

that kind

of utilitarian

manner,

if we use

him for

other means,

you will

sell out.

You will

sell out when

the going

gets tough.

When you

don't feel

like you

are getting

the things

that you

expected out

of Jesus,

when you

feel like

following

Jesus just

costs a

little too

much,

just like

Judas,

you will

leave and

you will

pursue other

means to

find that

thing that

you're

searching for.

As Thomas

Merton writes,

if we love

God for

something less

than himself,

we run the

risk of

hating him if

we don't

get what we

hope for.

So is

Jesus the

final goal,

the north

star, the

everything that

you are

searching for?

or is

he a

means to

other

self-serving

idolatrous

ends?

In the

end, at

the heart

of their

sin, both

the priests

and Judas,

they believe

that they're

the ones who

are in

control.

They think

that if

they play

their cards

just right,

then they

can get

their desired

outcome.

But

Matthew

presents this

very, very

differently.

Our

passage doesn't

start with

the Pharisees

first plotting

or Judas

selling out.

Notice that

Matthew begins

with Jesus'

prediction of

his death

in verses

1-2.

Then it

says in

verse 3

that the

Pharisees

scheme

amongst

themselves.

There's no

dualistic

tension.

no cosmic

battle

between

evil

and good.

There's

no wondering

who will

live and

who will

die.

The outcome

has already

been calculated.

But not

primarily by

evil men,

but by

Jesus

himself.

Jesus

will die,

but he

will die

on his

own terms.

How do we

know that?

the timing

of his

death.

This group

of mobsters

disguised as

religious leaders,

they want to

kill Jesus

nine days

later,

after the

Passover,

so that

people go

home and

the tensions

simmer down.

But contrary

to the

priest's plan,

Jesus says

that he

will die

on Passover.

This is

Jesus'

already

fourth

prediction of

his death

in the

book of

Matthew.

But what's

unique about

this one

in particular

is that

he explicitly

links his

death to

Passover,

one of the

most important

holidays in

all of the

Jewish

tradition.

Passover

commemorates

how God

passed over

all the

Jewish homes

and spared

them from

destruction

during their

bondage to

Egypt.

But to all

the Egyptian

homes,

the destroyer

takes the

life of

all of

their

firstborns.

There's

only one

thing that

set these

homes apart.

Just one.

It's not

that the

Israelites

were

smarter,

richer,

stronger,

better looking

or even

more righteous

than the

Egyptians.

They were

every bit

as guilty

and deserving

of damnation.

They could

have been

murderers,

adulterers,

stealers,

liars,

idolaters,

just the

same and

they probably

were.

But what's

the only

difference that

distinguished

that night

from the

houses of

Israel,

the houses

of Egypt?

What's the

one thing?

It's the

blood.

It's the

blood of

the lamb.

The blood

on their

doorposts

was the

only thing

that God

looked for.

A spotless,

pure lamb

was slain so

that they

may live.

So the

timing is

no mere

coincidence.

Don't get

this wrong.

the son

will not

die before,

he will

not die

after,

he will

die on

Passover

to conclusively

declare that

Jesus is

our

Passover

lamb.

The

spotless,

blameless

lamb of

God who

takes away

the sins

of the

world

was slain

so that

sinners like

you and

me can

now have

life.

So the

question is

are you

covered by

the blood?

There is

a day

when the

destroyer

will come

knocking on

your door.

It doesn't

matter what

kind of life

you lived.

It doesn't

matter who

you once

were.

If you

put that

blood on

your doorposts,

if you

believe with

all of your

heart that

the blood

of Christ

will atone

you and

wash you

completely

clean from

all of

your sins,

the wrath

of God

will pass

over you.

Though we

are sinners

by nature

and practice,

praise God

there is no

maybe in

the mercy

and the

grace of

our God.

We sing

this,

that there

is a

fountain

filled with

blood and

sinners who

are plunged

beneath that

flood lose

all of

their guilty

stains.

So if

Jesus is

the Passover

lamb,

then the

chief priests

and Judas,

they vastly

undervalue

what Jesus

is worth.

We've seen

that.

But in

between these

two passages,

we read in

the middle

a rare,

beautiful

example of

someone who

gets it

right,

who knows

what Jesus

is worth.

And you

wouldn't be

able to tell

this from

reading this

passage itself,

but it's

actually not

in strict

chronological

order.

The opening

verses date

Jesus'

prediction very

clearly,

right, you

see in the

passage, to

two days

before the

Passover.

But in

chapter 12

in the

gospel of

John, he

describes this

same account

with this

woman with

the alabaster

flask six

days before

the Passover.

This story

happened even

before Palm

Sunday, which

we covered

what feels

like ages

ago in

March.

Why is

that important?

It shows

how deliberate

Matthew is

inserting this

story.

He's a

master at

color contrast.

Matthew is

drawing attention

to the bright

radiance of

this woman's

uncalculating

devotion by

setting it

against the

dark background,

the dark

hues of

these chief

priests and

Judas'

calculated

scheming.

Let's note

the setting.

Jesus is in

Bethany, the

house of

Simon the

leper, whom

we really

don't know

all that much

about.

apart from

the fact

that no

leper could

ever host

a party like

this, host

Jesus and

his disciples.

We know

that the

Mosaic

Law stipulates

all lepers

to live in

complete

quarantine.

So while

it's not

recorded, I

don't think

it's far

fetched to

assume that

Jesus is the

one who

miraculously

healed this

man,

transforming him

really from

head to

toe.

And really, I

just love that

they're meeting

at his

house.

Once empty,

decrepit house

is now

teeming with

life and

love.

That's the

effect that

Jesus can

have.

While Jesus

is reclining,

a woman

approaches

Jesus and

as it says

in Mark,

breaks the

neck of an

alabaster jar.

in ancient

times,

alabaster

flasks were

typically

designed with

a narrow

opening and

were typically

sealed with a

hardened wax,

all so that

it prevents any

kind of air

exposure.

So that means

to access its

contents, the

neck of the

flask was

typically broken.

There's no

resealing,

there's no

screw caps,

there's no

trying to save

some for later.

Once broken,

this whole

thing, the

whole contents

needed to be

spent at

once.

It's really a

beautiful picture

of an all-or-nothing

endeavor.

The flask is a

grenade of

very expensive

perfume with

exotic scents of

amber, myrrh,

and spice.

Once that pin is

pulled, the

aromatics

immediately

explode, flooding

the room with

its scents.

Amid the

bustle of a

busy room,

especially in a

patriarchal society,

I wonder

perhaps that the

woman was

hardly noticed

that evening,

hardly seen.

They undoubtedly

see her now

while she pours

all of its

contents on

Jesus' head

without

reserving a

single drop.

But then here

come the

dissenters,

right?

Some of the

more pragmatically

minded disciples

take offense

at what this

woman has done.

They object,

what a waste.

This could have

been sold and

given to the

poor.

And while this

might be a

direct rebuke

against this

woman, it

nonetheless is

still an

indirect rebuke

against Jesus

himself.

And in

John's account,

he actually

records the

price, an

estimated price

for this

expensive

ointment.

300 denarii,

or roughly

an entire

years of

the wage

of a

common laborer.

So a

modern equivalent,

let's just use a

round number,

would be

$50,000.

dollars.

A

flask that's

worth a

whole lot

more than

a lot of

our own

cars.

From

$50,000,

just imagine

how many

peanut butter

and jelly

sandwiches you

can make

and hand

out to

the poor.

How many

months of

rent you

could cover,

how many

co-pays for

medical visits

that people

need.

It sounds

holy, but

we know that

from John's

account that

this charge

is led by

money-grubbing

Judas Iscariot,

only really

concerned with

filling up

the money

bag because

he's used to

skimming off

the top for

himself.

So Jesus,

knowing the

heart of

Judas,

sees right

through his

intentions.

But

interestingly,

Matthew doesn't

actually include

this detail

there.

He doesn't

give us an

easy off-ramp.

We have to

wrestle with

their argument

on its own

terms.

And I

don't know

about you,

but honestly,

I can understand

what they're

saying.

For the

past couple

weeks,

I've been

working hard

on the

church budget

that we're

going to

present next

week that

Sean just

mentioned at

our members

meeting.

If you're a

member,

please do

come to

that.

If you

heard next

week that

we are

planning on

buying an

ultra-expensive

men's cologne

for Sean.

That costs

$50,000.

And I

looked this

up.

There's

one called

Paco

Rabanne

Rabanne,

one million

luxe edition

for retail

price of

$57,000.

Notes of

blood

mandarin,

cinnamon,

and masculine

leather.

Apparently,

leather can be

masculine.

And it

comes in a

briefcase with

18 carat

solid gold

crowned with

a 0.3

carat diamond.

And our

plan that

we're going

to present

next week is

to douse

Sean's

head completely

one go

with that

expensive

perfume.

If you

are going to

ask you,

do you

approve of

that budget?

I am

sure that

nearly all

of you would

submit on

slack a

big fat

no.

I would

submit a

big fat

no.

So I

wonder if

I and

how many

of us

would be

among the

dissenters

too.

So why

does Jesus

see this

act not

as a

waste,

but as

a beautiful

thing?

Is

Jesus

dismissing

the needs

of the

poor

here?

Well,

for one,

we can

immediately

ride off

that false

notion that

Jesus does

not care about

the poor.

Throughout

his ministry,

at every

chance that

he got,

he so

compassionately

cared for

the poor

and the

needy.

In just

the last

passage that

Andrew just

preached on,

the faithful

sheep are

known by

their care

for the

poor,

the sick,

the needy,

the imprisoned.

In fact,

when Jesus

says that you

will always

have the

poor with

you,

he's

quoting from

scripture,

he's quoting

from Deuteronomy

15,

11.

And the

rest of

that verse

says,

therefore I

command you

to be

open-handed

toward your

brothers and

toward the

poor and

needy in

your land.

So when

Jesus says

that you

will always

have the

poor with

you,

implicit in

his response

is his

expectation

that we

do prioritize

the needs

of the

poor today.

But Jesus

praises this

woman for

using this

oil not

for the

poor but

on him.

Why?

Because Jesus

knows who

he is.

I'm 100%

positive that

if I knocked

on Sean's

door this

week and

I proposed

this manly

leather cologne

idea asking

that should we

use this?

Should we

spend all this

money to

douse your

head?

He would

very humbly

put an

immediate stop

to this.

God

but Jesus

he lets

it happen

because he

knows who

he is.

C.S.

Lewis once

spoke of

this trilemma

that because

Jesus made

divine claims

there only

are three

options of

who he

could be.

He could

either be

a complete

lunatic,

he could be

an insidious

liar,

or he

could be

who he

says he

is,

the Lord.

And he

knows that

he is the

Lord that

is dying

soon.

Whether she

knew it or

not, this

woman sees

a really

once in a

lifetime,

once in

human history

opportunity.

We couldn't

even do this

if we wanted

to do this,

right?

No other

person after

the time of

Jesus could

have this

very chance.

take the

most important

person in

your life

right now.

Imagine what

they look like,

whether it's

your spouse,

a best friend,

a family

member.

Imagine,

God forbid,

they get this

phone call from

them, and

they say that

it's cancer.

Stage four.

They have one

week to live.

Would anyone

else in the

world take

priority in

that next

week for

you?

So this

short-lived

occasion ought

to take

priority over

all else.

And she

seizes this

opportunity by

breaking her

alabaster jar and

anointing Jesus'

body for

burial.

Typically,

ancient Jews,

they used

perfumes after

a death to

kind of mask

some of the

smells of a

decaying carcass.

But Jesus,

he knows that

he is a dead

man walking,

interprets this

act as a

means to

prepare him for

his crucifixion.

And author

Philip Keller

beautifully

captures this.

The delicious

fragrance ran

down his

shining hair and

thick beard.

It unfolded his

body with

its delightful

aroma.

aroma.

Even his

tunic and

flowing

undergarments

were drenched

with its

enduring

pungency.

Wherever he

moved, the

perfume would

go with him

into the

Passover,

into the

garden of

Gethsemane,

into the

high priest's

home,

into Herod's

hall,

into Pilate's

praetorium,

into the

crude hands

of those who

cast slots for

his clothing at

the foot of the

cross.

It was a

significant moment

momentous

meaning.

Honestly, I

admit that the

scent could have

worn off quickly.

The biblical

authors don't

comment on this.

But I like to

think that for

the last week of

Jesus' life, that

whoever Jesus

passed by,

whoever Jesus

talked to,

whoever handled

his body,

they smelled

the expression

of this woman's

extravagant,

dedicated love

for him.

Against the

backdrop of

Judas treasuring

30 measly

coins, this

woman refuses to

treasure anything

else above

Jesus.

And she

expresses that

adoration, again,

by this extravagant,

over-the-top

offering with this

alabaster jar.

Even when she

knows that this

perfume will only

last temporarily.

Confession time

for me.

I'm such a

pragmatist that

I sometimes

really hate going

to the

supermarket.

Because when

I'm there, I

inevitably will

walk by the

flower section.

And I'll

look at them

and think to

myself,

gee, these

are nice.

these are

pretty.

They'd make

Christine so

happy.

But these

are $40.

That's like

three Chipotle

bowls.

And they're

going to die

in a week.

If you ever

see me in a

supermarket just

doing this in

front of some

flowers, you

know exactly

what's going

on in my

head.

man.

But when

I'm thinking

and loving

rightly, even

when I know

that these

fleeting flowers

will fade

fast, isn't

it worth it

to make my

wife happy?

That maybe on

a hard day

this week, she

could look at

these flowers and

feel a spark of

joy.

isn't her

happiness

invaluable and

weighty to

me?

That's the

heart of true

love.

Love does not

look for cheap

bargains.

Love does not

try to squeak by

with the bare

minimum.

Love gives the

very best it

can.

In 2 Samuel

24, God

commands David

to build an

altar, to

offer sacrifices,

and a man

generously,

graciously offers

the field and

animals so that

David could do

this all for

free.

But he knows

he can't do

this.

It is not right

for him to do

this.

He will not

offer sacrifices

that cost him

nothing.

What about

you?

Does your

love for Jesus

cost you

something?

Does Jesus

receive the very

best of your

life?

understanding the

heart of love.

This woman

remarkably offers

probably what is

her most valuable

possession as an

expression of her

worship.

But how?

How does she do

this?

Where does she find

the wherewithal to

do this?

It's not a

mystery.

It's because she

does this because

she knows what

Jesus is worth.

For until men

recognize that

they owe